


Something There

by fumomoshi



Category: Original Work
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23679760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fumomoshi/pseuds/fumomoshi
Summary: Karusawa Souta is a high school student who was bored out of his mind when his best friend Shinohara Kouta changed seats away from him. His classmate, Tachibana Sui, notices it and approaches him to help, starting a new friendship...?
Relationships: Tachibana Sui/Karusawa Souta





	1. Chapter 1

It was lunch time, and Souta's usual group of three were gathered at their usual windowed corner at the back of the classroom where Kouta sits to have their meal. It was not always like this. Only until recently, Kouta sat beside Souta at the front of the classroom. With them side by side, they were too disruptive during class, making joke after joke and getting all the attention of the class. Sending them outside of the classroom as punishment was an even worse mistake, as they would begin their own escapades together, leaving the full water buckets they we're supposed to carry and the ground and wander the school campus, distracting other classes. It did not help that their grades were above average. In the end, the solution was to split them apart in class by sending Kouta to the back. Souta always joked that Kouta was too handsome to stay at the front and thus a distraction. On the other hand, he was upset that they could not have fun during class anymore. The worst part is, Kouta seemed to be okay with it, spending his time flirting with the girls around him and even made a new friend, a certain Douzaki Kakeru who sat at the back with him. 

Souta did not know much about Kakeru then. Karu thought he was just a quiet boy who simply leaves class as soon as he could - one of those students who did not care about school or class, those just want to get it over and done with and go home. Souta's instincts were not wrong about that, but he did not expect the boy to be perpetually angry, although his default facial expression did give it away. Kakeru always seemed annoyed at something, and usually shows his displeasure by clicking his tongue or, if provoked, barking at the subject. Souta was surprised that Kakeru would continue hanging out with noisy people with the likes of him and Kouta, who were practically the masters of being annoying. Well, technically Kouta is the more annoying one. Souta is just loud and hyperactive...well that could count as annoying too, Souta reckoned.

_ Maybe we are his first friends,  _ Souta always thought. Souta knew, though, that Kakeru was exactly the type of person that would entertain Kouta to no end. Admittedly, he felt a little jealous, and a little lonely. He became increasingly restless and fidgety during class, to the point where he noticed that his homeroom teacher was giving him concerned glances every now and then. He could not help it. He wanted to do something else rather than just sitting still in class, watching his life go by in a boring class. It felt like prison, not that he knew what prison was actually like. But without Kouta to back him up on the millions of things he would rather be doing, he felt afraid to execute them. At least with Kouta enabling his plans, he did not feel like the odd one out. It felt lonely.  _ Just a little. Only a little.  _

“Um…” 

Souta still remembered the soft, scared voice coming from his right. It was soft, but it felt loud and clear. The agitated and excited voices swarming his head with ideas fell into complete silence. Souta remembered turning to look at the classmate seated beside him. He remembered trying to recall his name. Tachibana Sui. Quiet boy, but not angry like Kakeru. Souta had seen him near the nurses’ office, and was usually placed in charge of bringing people there.  _ That _ type of person. 

“Here.”

Souta remembered the second word. Again, it was soft but clear. The boy extended his hand and passed a candy. Souta remembered frowning.  _ Does this boy think I’m some sort of kid? _ Technically, he is one, and to be perfectly honest, Souta was pleased at the sight of the candy. But he remembered being suspicious. What is the candy for? Why is this boy whom he barely knew helping him? 

“It helps.”

Those words were enough to convince Souta. The boy’s in charge of taking people to the nurses’ office, so he should be trustworthy right? And the class seemed to like him too, especially the class representatives. Plus, he  _ really _ wanted something in his mouth right now. Something sour. He took the candy from the boy’s hand and returned ‘thank you’ smile. The boy smiled back, fully understanding that he had done his job and returned to listening in class. Souta remembered the silence that followed. The voices stopped. His attention drawn to the candy in his hand.  _ Green apple flavour.  _ Exactly what he wanted. 

* * *

It was lunch time, and Souta's usual group of three were gathered at their usual windowed corner at the back of the classroom. Kakeru was frowning as he ate his yakisoba bread. Souta was not sure if he’s annoyed with Kouta’s smirks and snide remarks, the bread, the yakisoba or even nothing at all. With an angry default look, Souta found it easier to think that either nothing or Kouta, which was usually the case. 

“Who is this?” Kakeru growled. His line of sight just missed Souta, towards the boy beside him. Kouta wore his usual smirk, but Souta could spot the curiosity in his eyes. It’s almost like Kouta’s telling him “I know who he is. Is he our new toy?” 

Souta felt a shudder from beside him. Not his shudder, but the boy he was about to introduce, the boy who sat beside him and gave him a candy. Since then, they had been conversing a little between classes and Souta found him fun to talk with. It felt weird to leave him during lunch time so Souta thought it would be a good idea for the boy to eat with the rest of the gang. He did not know if the boy would get along with the rest, but he figured that there was no harm trying. 

Souta grabbed the boy’s arms and pulled him forward. The boy gasped in surprise, the surprise of suddenly being put to the spotlight. Souta looked up. He knew the boy was taller than him, and shorter than Kakeru and Kouta, but he’s still surprised how tall he stood when placed beside him.  _ I must be really short _ , the thought passed him like a leaf in the wind. 

“This is Tachibana Sui!” Souta introduced, waving his arms around him as if his arms were handheld metal detectors. Looking at Sui, he said, “this is THE GANG!” Souta waved pointed his metal detectors at Kakeru and Kouta. “You can call us the KKK! Kakeru,” he pointed at Kakeru, “Kouta,” he pointed at Kouta, “And Karusawa!” he pointed at himself. 

“Yours is not even the first name!” Kouta laughed. “Besides, isn’t KKK some clan in America or something? You should just call us KKS.”

Souta pouted. “Ehh, but I don’t want to be left out...”

“But you have Sui now, so we can now be called KKSS~!” Kouta pointed out. 

“Oh my god you are right!” Souta exclaimed in joy. He slapped Sui’s arm in excitement. “We are the SS and they are the KK!” 

Kakeru gave an annoyed groan. “Guys, you are making Sui uncomfortable.” He looked at Sui.  _ Glared _ , would be a more appropriate word for someone who isn’t friends with Kakeru. “Nice to meet you.” 

“How unexpectedly polite, Rucchan!” Kouta chuckled. Kakeru rolled his eyes over the mention of the ‘new’ nickname that Kouta gave him recently. “I’m Kouta, but you should already know that, right Sui? You know everyone in the class, and the class beside us, and the class beside us. I won’t be surprised if you know everybody in the whole school.” 

“E-erm.”

“Oi, stop teasing him.” Kakeru gave an elbow to Kouta. Kouta made an exaggerated wince, which raised a concerned look on Sui’s face. 

“W-wait! I can do this!” Sui said. “Er, you are…”

“Hey, we are not testing you or anything,” Kakeru said. 

“Shinohara Kouta,” Sui finished, pointing at Kouta. “Your grades are above average despite being...er…’active’ in class. However, you excel at Home Economics, especially cooking. You have a sophisticated palate and will not settle for cheap food if possible. You come from a well off family. You are popular among the girls because of your good looks, charms and your ability to cook...although some are out for your money, which you are clearly aware of. Also, your birthday is the 31st of October, making you a Scorpio.”

This time it was Kouta’s turn to give a slight frown of his own, clearly a little disturbed. Souta chuckled at Kouta’s reaction. It was not a face Kouta put on very often, so it felt refreshing. 

Sui turned to Kakeru. Souta saw Kakeru trying to avoid eye contact, and sank a little lower into his seat. He still had an angry look on his face, but Souta could tell that he was uneasy. “Douzaki Kakeru, right? You excel in sports and are good with your hands but you prefer to go home early so you are not involved in any club activities. Your grades are alright. Students usually look for you for handicraft related work and advice, like the last cultural festival where you helped so much with the class with their haunted house theme. Your birthday is on November 30th, making you a Sagittarius. Also, you enjoy strawberry shortcakes.”

Kouta gave a genuinely surprised look. “You like strawberry shortcakes?”

“W-what’s so surprising about that?!” Kakeru scrowled. Souta was surprised to see that Kakeru’s face went red, a rare sight to behold. He then turned to Sui. “How did you know about that?”

“Er…!” Sui looked away nervously to avoid the fierce gaze from Kakeru. “When the girls made you the strawberry shortcake to thank you for your help during the cultural festival, you seemed really happy eating it and they seemed happy that you do and...ah - maybe I’m saying too much.”

Souta saw Kakeru’s mouth twitch multiple times. It felt like he wanted to retort but he did not, in the end. Souta figured that Kakeru did not think that anything was wrong about what Sui had said. Maybe he was just feeling embarrassed at that moment, which felt uncharacteristic, but kind of cute. Souta turned and saw Kouta grinning, his eyes gleaming with mischief.  _ Hmm _ . Souta wondered. Those were definitely mischievous eyes, but they were not ones that he recognized. He felt a little sad.

Aside from that, Souta was amazed at Sui’s ‘performance’. Souta thought he knew the people around him well, but Sui’s information was so much more concrete and detailed than Karu’s, and was impressed in how he presented it in a clear point-order fashion, like a list. “That’s so cool! It’s almost like you are a detective!” Souta said. “Do me! Do me!” He raised his hands eagerly, which barely stood over the tip of Sui’s head.

“Er…” Sui’s face went slightly red from the praise. “You are Karusawa Souta. You come from the Osaka prefecture. And...er…” Sui gave a troubled look, but quickly recovered. “You are very…cheerful and active! You have really good grades and joined several sports clubs, although you have not joined one yet despite how much the clubs want you. You are born on the 12th of April, which makes you an Aries.” He paused again and gave another troubled look, this time directly at Souta.

Souta cocked his head. “What's wrong?” he asked. For a moment, he grew worried.  _ Did I do something wrong before?  _ A thought passed Souta. He did a lot of things in his life that he did not think through, and sometimes that worried him because he was afraid that he would harm people without realizing it.  _ Maybe he knows something about me that I don’t _ . Souta thought. 

But before the fear could creep in, Sui suddenly bursted. ‘You love takoyaki and okonomiyaki, and love watching manzai prefers standing at the right side of the escalator - I'M SORRY I DON'T MEAN TO INSULT YOU!”

The poor boy started bowing profusely at the three of them. Kouta almost choked on his drink while bursting with laughter. Kakeru looked a little distraught and tried to inch away, only managing to sink into his chair. Souta grabbed Sui, before more suspicious gazes could fall into their group. Everything calmed down eventually. Sui was still apologetic, “I'm sorry, Karusawa-san, I'm not trying to say that you like those things just because you come from Osaka, it's just that…”

Souta laughed. “Ahaha, what?? That's what you were worried about? Don't worry don't worry! It is true that I like those stuff! Also the takoyakis in Osaka are the bestest! Have you guys tried it before?” Souta's stomach growled. “Ahaha! Talking about it made me hungry!” 

Souta took out a piece of bread. It was a messy looking piece of bread. It had a glob of yellow stuff on top of it, like a pizza gone wrong. It was so messy that Kakeru had to ask, “What the hell is that?”

“Okonomiyaki flavored bread!” Souta beamed, then he turned to Sui and reassured him. “See? Nothing wrong about what you said! I do indeed love okonomiyaki. Osaka one's mind you! Not the Hiroshima ones!” 

Sui gave a small nod. “Yes, Karusawa-san.”

“Puh-lease!” Souta deliberately rolled his eyes to show his disapproval. ‘Karusawa-san’ just sounded too formal. It sounded as if they were not friends, like they were just passing colleagues or classmates. And Sui is a friend at this point. “Just call me Karu!” 


	2. Chapter 2

“The composite solid below is made of a cube and a square pyramid,” Kurogawa-sensei voice bellowed, his monotonous tone broken by the erratic tapping of chalk on the blackboard. “The length of each edge of the cube is twelve feet...and the overall height of the solid is twenty-two feet. What is the volume of the solid?”

Sui already knew the answer, but he wrote down the question diligently in his notebook anyway.  _ Five lines, _ he nodded to himself. It was the exact amount of lines he needed to solve the problem, and the amount of lines he needed to explain his solution.  _ Five lines, two lines for the cube’s formula and its answer, two lines for the pyramid’s formula and its answer, one line to add them to get the answer _ . It was perfect. He started penning down his solution in pencil, just in case he got it wrong. He planned to ink over them, once he confirmed that his answers were right when Kurogawa-sensei goes through them in a short while. There was no real rush. Sui knew he had more than enough time. Kurogawa-sensei would repeat the question, wonder at the question aloud, ask the class for answers before revealing the answers. He would not take longer than that. Mathematics was one of Sui’s better subjects, after all.

The chalk tapping stopped. On the blackboard was what Kurogawa-sensei promised; a cube and on top of it, a pyramid with a square base. Sui had already completed his answer in his notebook and surreptitiously, his eyes started to wander around the classroom, just to check on how the other students were taking the class. It was not easy. Sui sat in the front row, so he was limited to the sides of the row behind him, and the row he’s at. 

It was the usual bunch of the students dozing off, their eyes fluttering helplessly no doubt to the merciless assault of Kurogawa-sensei’s dull voice. Others were whispering to each other. Sui could hear some of the contents they were saying. Some girl having a crush on a guy. Somebody asking to pass a note to another person. Sui felt that they should listen to Kurokawa-sensei, but at least they were not disrupting the class. Even if they were disruptive, it was not Sui’s responsibility to take action. That would be the class representative’s or the teacher’s responsibility. Besides, the action of taking action itself would be disruptive. Sui marvelled at the irony of that statement he just thought of and tried to contain the growing smile from within him.

The semester did not start out this peacefully. Earlier on, classes were constantly being disrupted by two particular classmates. One of them was Shinohara Kouta, a tall male boy with the looks, swagger and charisma of a young teenage idol. Tall, broad shoulders, lean build, a cocky grin on his face, stylish short hair, a smooth voice, a quick wit, the list was endless. As a result, he became a popular topic among the girls, and he was known to have dated some of them on and off. It would not be a stretch to call him a celebrity of the school. Sui sighed at the amount of conversations he had with the girls who were rejected and dumped by him, but he understood that ultimately, that’s part of high school. At the back of his mind, Sui wondered if he’s turn’s coming soon, or if he would get his turn. 

Personally, Sui was wary of Shinohara-san. There were occasions where he had seen him lend a helping hand to others in a pinch. He had seen him be the voice of his classmates, bringing their concerns to the class representative and the teachers where they were too afraid to do so. But there were also times were it seemed as if he found joy making people’s life difficult, like being involved in playing some of the cruelest pranks on others. Sui could not figure him out. 

The other was Karusawa Souta, the boy who sits next to him on the left. Sui felt terrible to say this, but Karusawa-san was exactly what he expected people from Kansai region to be: loud, energetic, humourous, outgoing, loves takoyaki, loves manzai...if you would Google for ‘Kansai Stereotype’, Karusawa-san would fit most if not all the descriptions. 

Despite his lack of...verticality (read as ‘short’), Karusawa-san is extremely athletic. Last year, Sui heard that every sports club wanted to get their hands on him - even the basketball and volleyball teams which relied on height - but he rejected all of them, something which puzzled Sui even today. Sui would imagine that if he were athletic like Karusawa-san, he would definitely go for one of the clubs. Imagine! Fighting for the school with sweat and tears! Sui thought that sports clubs were the coolest because of that.  _ What a waste,  _ he thought.

Up until recently, Karusawa-san and Shinohara-san were seated together, right beside Sui. As far as Sui could tell, they got along extremely well, almost as if they were twin brothers with telepathic abilities to communicate with each other. They would interject silly jokes in the middle of a teaching. They would prank, like flinging ‘paper rocks’ at people with their handmade catapults made of rubber bands and stationery. They would purposely get punished to get sent out of class - in which they would sneak away to wander around school, much to the teacher’s dismay. Their homeroom teacher, a lady named Miyano-sensei, received so many complaints that she decided to shift Shinohara-san to the back of the classroom, hoping that it would solve the problem. So far, it seemed to be working.

“What do you guys think about the diagram?” Kurokawa-sensei asked. “Looks interesting, right? Looks familiar, doesn't it? I wonder what we have learnt so far solves this?” 

Sui fought a yawn. He liked how Kurokawa-sensei’s teaching pace was so slow that it helped the slower students but he was  _ so slow _ . Bored, he turned his gaze towards his left, wondering how Karusawa-san was doing. It had been a couple of days since Karusawa-san and Shinohara-san were split from each other. Sui noticed how quiet the left side of his seat had become.

Karusawa-san sat still. He’s posture was straight, head tilted upwards slightly and eyes wide, fixated to the contents on the blackboard. From a glance, he looked like a textbook model student, aside from the unkempt hair and sloppily ironed uniform. A terrible feeling came upon Sui. He felt like something was amiss. It felt too out of character. He had never seen Karusawa-san this still as far as he could remember, let alone in class. 

Sui took a closer look, as surreptitiously as he could. He noticed that Karusawa-san hands were under his thighs. His arms were straightened and Sui could see its muscles tensing and relaxing rapidly. He was making tiny sways with his body, kneading his hands. His legs were crossed tightly, hanging in mid-air, completely stiff. Sui could also see that he was chewing on his lips, and the pupils on his eyes were darting around aimlessly. 

Worry overcame Sui. He was not sure if those were symptoms of illness. Karusawa-san did not seem to be in physical pain, neither was he pale nor off-color. He was just acting a little out of place. He wondered if that was enough reason to warrant sending him to the nurse’s office. “Why did you send him here?” Sui imagined the doctor, Miss Honoka-sensei, asking. “He...seemed tense?” Sui could imagine his reply.  _ How would that even work? _ Maybe he should ask her first today.

Then it hit him. A possibility. Sui recalled one of his younger cousins being lectured by his aunt once for causing a ruckus in a family gathering. He was sitting still with a similar pose as he received his scolding. That cousin was a hyperactive child. He wondered if Karusawa-san’s the same?

The more Sui thought about it, the more he felt it made sense. His heart fell. If that’s the case, then without Shinohara-san to disrupt classes with Karusawa-san together, Karusawa-san lost his outlet to release his energy. If that’s the case, that means Karusawa-san is suffering right now. 

Sui wanted to help. Sure, Karusawa-san might have caused a ruckus during class hours. Sure, he might have disrespected the teacher and threw stapler bullets at them. Sure, doing all that had made Sui annoyed. But to suffer like this as a consequence seemed too...cruel. What if Karusawa-san’s really suffer from some kind of hyperactive behaviour problems? Sui shuddered at the thought. That would be the worst.

“Oh, I just like keeping my hands warm.” Sui frowned at the possibility that Karusawa-san would end up saying that. Maybe waiting's better. 

* * *

Sui carefully wrapped the bandage around the boy's knees. He made sure it was not too tight, otherwise the boy would have trouble moving around. Honoka-sensei monitored him from behind. Sui fondly remembered how nervous he felt the first time he treated a student with her watching. After a year of practice, he got used to it. _ Time flies. _

“You are getting better at this, Tachibana-kun.” Honoka-sensei said just when he applied the final tapes to hold the bandage in place. “I'll go get the paperwork ready. Can I leave the rest to you?” 

“Yes,” Sui answered. He turned to the boy. “Can you walk and see if it's comfortable?” 

The boy nodded and got down from the bed he was sitting on. At first he made baby steps, but within seconds, he was already walking like a normal person. Sui smiled, satisfied. It was only an hour ago when the boy walked in with blood flowing down his knee. 

The boy continued walking. And walking. And walking. Sui chuckled.  _ Right, I'm dealing with lowerclassmen now.  _ “You can stop walking now.”

“O-oh,” the boy stopped and stood still. 

_ What an obedient boy,  _ Sui thought. It was normal for lowerclassmen to be nervous around an environment they were not familiar with, but this boy was especially stiff.  _ Nishino Yuu from class 1-B _ , Sui recalled _.  _ He was a transfer student, supposedly from a really rich family. Although Japanese by birth, Nishino-san lived in Austria for most of his childhood, according to what he overheard from 1-B’s homeroom teacher. Sui thought that it’s entirely possible that in addition to being unfamiliar to the school environment, he was also unfamiliar with Japan itself.

“Are you feeling alright? Was the bandage too tight?” Sui tried to make conversation. He walked over to the counter and poured a disposable cup of warm water for Nishino-san. 

“Oh, it’s just nice, actually!” Nishino-san bowed with every word he said, some bowed some more when Sui handed him the water. “Yeah, it feels comfortable. I can walk. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Thank you so much! I’m so sorry for the trouble!”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Sui nodded, waving his hands. “Please watch where you are walking next time, okay? This time it’s just a flesh wound without any signs of fractures. You might not be so lucky next time. What are you doing at the back of the school building anyway?”

“Erm,” Nishino-san looked away. “I...er...I was just...there, I guess…?”

Sui was not sure if he was too afraid to answer his question, or if Nishino-san did not know as well.  _ Or maybe it’s something I don’t need to know? _ Sui sighed. He’s curious, but he decided that he should not pursue something that might be privy to an individual. It is a hard habit to kick. “You don’t have to answer. Just be careful next time, okay?”

“I will. T-thank you,” Nishino-san bowed. “Is there anything else?”

Sui shook his head and led Nishino-san outside. “That will be all. Do drop by everyday after school to change the bandage. You should get going. You don’t want to keep your friend waiting outside.”

With that, Nishino-san nodded, bowed and left. The nurse’s room was quiet again.  _ And getting late _ , Sui thought when he saw the orange light of the setting sun streaming from the window. He walked towards Honoka-sensei, who was on her desk and filling up the form to check if there was anything else before taking his leave.

“How’s the boy?” Honoka-sensei asked. 

Sui knew she was not asking about the infection of the wound.  _ I didn’t ask for the obvious, Tachibana-kun _ , Sui remembered her saying. “He seemed to be settling in quite well, despite his background. Although he’s still a little…” Sui paused, trying to think of a better word than ‘stiff’. 

“Stiff?” Honoka-sensei read his mind. “The word is written on your face.”

Sui frowned. This was the part of Honoka-sensei that he respected and feared. She was always so sharp about people, and so blunt towards them as well. Sui felt that she could use a little more tact, but people seemed to trust her a lot, so she must be doing something right. 

“As usual, thanks for your help,” Honoka-sensei said. “I was a little worried about that boy when he first transferred, but I’m glad he made a good friend.” She finished the form she was filling up and filed it away.

“Oh, you know about that as well.” Sui remarked, although he was not surprised. It was part of Honoka-sensei’s job to know about every student in the school by heart, beyond the black-and-white data that was given to her. “You are talking about Nonomiya-kun, right? Small boy, big eyes, the one who brought Nishino-kun here in the first place. I have heard a bit about him.”

“Yeah, nice kid. Head’s a bit in the cloud sometimes, though. Did you know? His older brother also attended this school and he used to help out a lot here before you came along,” Honoka-sensei said. Sui could tell that she thought fondly of him from the distant gaze of her eyes. She took a sip of tea from the cup on her desk, finishing. “Time really flies, huh? I heard he’s pursuing a career as a surgeon.”

“That’s amazing, I don’t think I can do that,” Sui said.

Honoka-sensei laughed. “I’m not saying that you should, but you should start thinking about your future, even if it’s just a little bit.”

_ My future... _

Sui honestly had not planned that far. He did not have great aspirations like the other students he talked to, and he did not feel any need to. All he wanted was to lead a normal life. Get a job, get a family, have kids...that kind of stuff. He did not feel a need to become a rock star or a CEO of a company. He figured that he would be happy with just an office job, earning enough income for his household. 

_ Right, speaking of the future _ . Sui remembered that there was something he wanted to ask. “Sorry for sidetracking, Honoka-sensei. But are you familiar with Karusawa-san?”

Honoka-sensei blinked. “Yes? What about him? You sit beside him, right? How is he doing without our dear celebrity Shinohara-san sitting beside him?”

Sui pursed his lips. _Is she a psychic? Do I even need to tell her anything?_ He explained anyway. “Today, Karusawa-san was acting a little strange during class. He looked uncomfortable, but not necessarily ill? I wasn’t sure if that warrants the need to send him to the nurse’s office. It was like he’s holding something in, like he needed to have a bathroom break, or something.”

“You could ask him what’s wrong,” Honoka-sensei said.

“I…” Sui stopped. He  _ could _ but he did not. He was in the front seat and he did not want to interrupt the class. “I wasn’t sure…” 

“Relax, I’m not lecturing you or anything. You did not necessarily do anything wrong. Knowing you and Karusawa-kun, you probably thought that maybe he was just ‘exercising’ to keep fit or something silly like that.” she chuckled. “That would make you look silly.”

Sui frowned. He would never get over having goosebumps whenever Honoka-sensei made a correct guess like that. What he got used to was shrugging the feeling away and continuing. “He seemed really restless, so I thought that maybe he is suffering from some kind of hyperactive behavioural issues. Do you know anything more?”

“He’s not suffering from anything, as far as I know,” Honoka-sensei said, in which Sui silently heaved a sigh of relief. “But he does have some energy issues. I do think that he’s the type who has trouble sitting still for too long.”

“Is there any way to help him?” Sui asked. “Like maybe a silent toy to play with under the desk, a stress ball to squeeze, food to chew on, anything?”

“You are making him sound like a dog,” Honoka-sensei commented. “A hyperactive, troublesome dog.”

“I-I’M SORRY! THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!”

“Anyway,” she continued, waving Sui’s exclamation away. “Usually for people like that I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It is up to them to adapt to their new environment or suffer. That’s part of growing up, in the end. Besides, it’s only a couple of days since the seats changed, right? I would give it time.”

_ Time?  _ Sui suddenly had an image of Karusawa-san suffering in his seat, getting restless until finally his energy explodes, getting into trouble with the teachers, with the class, wreaking havoc in school and eventually expelled? What if Karusawa-san’s the type to bottle his emotions and keep it behind his smile? What if he slowly becomes sick, starts being absent from school and...Sui shuddered at the horrible thought that came after. What if time flew, and by the time anyone noticed, it would already be too late.

_ Time flies. _

“We should do something about it!” Sui blurted out, then covered his mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”

Honoka-sensei did not even flinch. She only raised an eyebrow. “You seemed awfully concerned about him.”

Sui was not sure what she meant. Karusawa-san’s a classmate, just like any other classmates. And he’s the representative for the nurse’s office. Was it that strange of him to be concerned? “I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand…?” Sui said. “I mean, he caused some trouble in class before, but that does not mean that he should be punished to suffer like that. I think.”

“Hmm.” 

Sui felt goosebumps again. Honoka-sensei was giving him a serious look. Sui did not enjoy that look. It felt like she was staring straight into his soul. “Hmm, I see,” she said. “Eating in class is against the rules, though.”

“I’ll talk to Miyano-sensei about it,” Sui said. “I’m sure she’ll listen.”

“Hmm, I see.” There was an uneasy pause. Sui glanced around him nervously. Did he overstep his boundaries? Was he being rude? He had only helped out in the nurse’s office for around a year. Maybe he was starting to get too comfortable? “Sorry I was thinking about something else,” Honoka-sensei responded. “You should do what you feel is right, Tachibana-kun.”

“Y-you mean it’s okay?” Sui asked.

Honoka-sensei just gave a wry smile and shrugged. “Why not?” she said and got up to leave for the day. “I’ll leave the rest to you,” she said before she exited the room. “Good luck.”

Sui stood there, a little confused and dumbfounded by Honoka-sensei’s words. It felt like she was trying to mean something more, but Sui could not figure it out.

_ Maybe I’m thinking too much. _


	3. Chapter 3

“Nothing escapes Dustcatcher Souta!” Souta exclaimed. He crawled towards the back of the footlocker behind the classroom, armed with a mighty rag. “You may be in the locker that stores our cleaning...er...tools...utensils...weapons? Weapons! But that does not mean it’s a safe haven for you!” 

Today, Souta and Sui were in charge of cleaning duty. Normally, there was not much to do, but students in charge were expected to stay in the classroom for at least an hour before their homeroom teacher drops by to check, or at least their homeroom teacher Miyuki-sensei would. Most students would grumble at the work - behind their teachers’ backs, of course - but Souta loved it. To him, it beats sitting still and doing nothing. Besides, there’s always work to be done, despite what other students claim. 

With a huff, Souta pressed the rug onto the corners of the locker with all his might. As he suspected, his rag soon became dirty, catching all the grime and dust that the previous classmates in charge of cleaning neglected. “Aha! You might escape our other cleaning agents but...OH MY GOD! ‘CLEANING AGENTS’! Sui!” 

Souta turned to peek out of the locker which he found himself in. Sui was clutching onto his broom tightly, his head turned away from Souta. Awkwardly, he turned, walked away in quick, stiff robotic steps, and resumed sweeping the floor.

“Sui! That was so smart!” Souta cried across the classroom. “You were laughing too, weren’t you!”

“I-I wasn’t!” Sui cried back, his back still facing Souta. “S-stop fooling around! L-let’s get back to work!”

“Heheh! Okay~!” Souta grinned and returned to his Dust Catching duties, humming to himself a superhero theme song that he just made up. 

A month had passed since he became friends with Sui, which meant that it was a month since Sui gave him that candy, a month since his best friend Shinohara Kouta was forced to sit away from him, and a month since he introduced Sui to the gang. It was only a month, but Souta felt as if he had known Sui forever. 

_ Huh. _ Souta frowned at the thought, but quickly turned his attention towards a patch of dirt caught at the corner of his eyes. 

“Gyeh! Why wouldn’t anyone see this?!” Souta glared at the patch like it was his mortal enemy. “The Grimelords have settled on a base of operations!” He declared, spraying the cleaning agent onto it. “Go agents! I’ll provide backup!” He gritted his teeth and proceeded to wipe the dirt with his rug. When he was done, he crawled out of the locker and gave a victory pose. 

“Sui! The locker has been cleaned of Grimelords,” suddenly Souta gasped and his eyes went wide. “Oh my god! I’m a GRIME-FIGHTER!!”

Sui stopped in his tracks. Souta could hear the ugly snerk that transitioned into coughs, that transitioned into clearing of throat. He smiled. People rarely gave such a positive reaction to his silly jokes and puns, usually shrugging them off or returning with a defeated look. Even his best friend Kouta would usually, out of politeness, smile, return a short response, and move on. 

Sui was a surprising exception. It was surprising because he had never seen Sui react this much to anything before. Souta had always thought that Sui was a ‘no-nonsense responsible good boy’ type that would never laugh at his dumb jokes. He thought that Sui was the type of boy that would listen to class, do his homework, help out with chores for the family, cook dinner and call it a day by going to bed early at nine - not exactly the type of person he thought he would find interesting to hang out with. While Sui turned out to be most of those, he was not as boring as Souta initially thought. He was surprised to find that Sui had trouble waking up in the mornings, got upset over television dramas and would laugh at silly jokes. 

“Don’t be silly. I’m not a robot. Besides, I think you are funny.” Souta remembered Sui chuckling at him. He remembered an uncontrollable tsunami of joy came crashing from within when he heard that. No one ever said that he’s funny before. No one! Not his parents, not his friends, not his teacher, not even himself. 

But such moments never last. They never do. Soon he’d be bored. He would always be. He remembered the feeling of joy running for the track and field team, but he would get bored of running the next month. He remembered the feeling of joy when he spiked the volleyball during the tryouts, but he would get bored of spiking the next month. He remembered the feeling of joy when he beat the school soccer team with his team of ragtag newbies, but he would get bored of kicking balls the next month. It’s the same for food, it’s the same for picking up hobbies, it’s the same for school, and it’s the same for relationships. 

_ Bored.  _ Souta thought.  _ Is that even the right word? _

“Karuwasa-san? I mean, Karu?” 

Souta blinked. “Oh crap, yes, what? Did I space out?” Sui’s eyes were wide and piercing, eyebrows raised high. “Don’t worry, I’m fine!” The words came out of Souta’s mouth. “I mean, I’m okay.” He forced a smile. “Sorry I was just thinking about stuff, I guess! Haha! Everyone gets moments like that, right? Like ‘Oh no, I left all my eggs in the same basket’! I mean! Not metaphorically! Like I had eggs in a basket and I realized that there’s this saying that you shouldn’t put them together! And I wonder why...”

“Erm, I think you should be taking that metaphorically to make sense,” Sui said, pursing his lips, which made Souta a little uneasy. “Should we take a break? We have been cleaning for forty-five minutes straight.”

“I can continue!” Souta said. “There’s still much crime, I mean,  _ grime  _ to be fought!” 

Sui gave a soft chuckle. Souta smiled, pleased.

“Let’s take a break,” Sui insisted. “Put down the rag and the cleaning agent.”

“The rag is ‘Madeline Pierce’. The cleaning agent is ‘The Agent’.” 

Sui bit his lips, trying hard not to laugh. Souta beamed, again. 

“Put down Madeline-san and Agent-san, Karusawa-san. I mean, Karu.” Sui said, placing his broom aside. 

Souta did as he was told. He wondered what he was going to do in the next fifteen minutes, though. He was not used to taking ‘breaks’. What do people do? Just sit down? “Let’s play a game, then!” Souta suggested.

“Some other day, Karu.” Sui smiled. He walked towards the classroom window and opened it. The light from the afternoon sun streamed in, bringing along with it the cool spring air. Sui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “What a beautiful day…” he exhaled, looking fondly out of the window. “Look Karu, you can see the outdoor clubs from here!” 

Souta stood beside Sui to take a look. He could see the soccer club, the baseball club and...was that the new frisbee club? He could hear the yelling and the laughters. He always heard them, but viewing from an empty classroom at a higher floor with Sui felt...different. Souta did not know how to describe it. It felt nice, almost calming. He did not find the urge to play games or move about. It felt like he would be okay just standing beside Sui. 

“I like this classroom,” Sui said. “I can see everything from here.”

“Yeah, it’s nice huh!” Souta chirped. “Oh look! Even the music club is out in the sun!” He pointed at the group of students near the foot of their building, their woodwind and brass instruments reflecting the sunlight.

“Oh! You are right!” Sui gasped. “There’s Nishino-kun and Nonomiya-kun, over there!”

“NISHINO-KUN! NONOMIYA-KUN!” Souta cried towards them. Yuu looked up and waved back with a smile, his other hand twirling his silver flute effortlessly. Ryoji looked up too, and gave a ‘save me’ look. Shortly after, their instructor lined them up, and they marched into the sun, blaring a familiar classical piece which Souta did not know the name of but hummed along anyway. 

“Clubs are nice, huh?” Sui said. “You get to compete for your school, or perform for the public, or simply gather like-minded people to do activities together.” 

“Why don’t you join one?” Souta asked. He did find it strange that someone like Sui would not be in some sort of club. It was not as if their school had a lack of clubs either. “Is there no club that interests you?”

There was a pause, and from that pause, Souta thought he guessed the answer. He thought the reason would be something simple along the lines of ‘None of the clubs interest me’.

“I don’t think I’m good enough to be in any club.” Sui said. “The clubs are filled with these amazing people who had so much hopes and dreams. I don’t want to disappoint them and make a fool of myself. Besides, it’s not like I’m as interested in the clubs as some of the club members are. I could feel their passion but I don’t think I share the same...level.”

“Also I’m not musically inclined. I’m not artistic. I’m not athletic. I don’t have any talents!” Sui continued. “I’m just...boring, I think.”

Souta felt a sick churn in his chest, mostly because he did assume that Sui was a boring kid. But that was the past! He thinks otherwise now. “That’s not true!” Souta said. He wanted to say something to Sui, something that will show him that he’s not as boring as he thinks. He knew that something existed; he could feel it in his gut. But what  _ is  _ it? 

“That’s not true. You are not boring! You’ll never know what you like until you try! I’m sure some club would accept you!” 

_ Ack!  _ Souta wanted to kick himself and run away. He knew the words he just said could not be more empty. It was then Souta realized that he was absolutely clueless about situations like these. 

Sui shook his head. “It’s different, Karu. I’m not like you.” Sui said. “Unlike me, every club wants you. You are so talented in everything you do. You can play music, do sports, draw art, perform magic tricks, rally people with just a few sentences. To be honest, I’m a little jealous.”

“But I-I think you are an amazing person too!” Souta tried. He felt his ears going red. “You are kind to people, and nice...and kind! Argh! You are nice  **and** kind! And responsible! And mature! And cool! Yeah! You know what? I’m jealous of you too!” 

There was another pause. This time, it was an awkward pause.  _ Oh no, did I go too far? Did I say something wrong? _

“O-oh, that’s...very…” Sui’s face went visibly red. He looked away, holding his arms together. “Erm…that’s very nice of you. I...” He clears his throat, heaved a breath and smiled. “Thanks.”

“Besides,” Souta said. “You could make your own club! The Tachibana Sui Club! Where everyone tries to become like Sui!”

Sui snorted. “Ppu! What do you mean! What kind of club is that! What are the people in the club even do?” He laughed.  _ Laughed!  _ Souta returned the laughter. He had never seen Sui laugh so openly in front of anyone before. This was the first time. It might even be Sui’s first time! “I’m sorry,” Sui said. “The thought was too funny.”

“I’m serious though!” Souta said. “You could start your own club. Oh! How about the Nurse Office Club?”

“I don’t think Honoka-sensei would like students flooding her office, Karu.” Sui said. 

“Oh! Oh! I know! How about a First Aid Club? A club where everyone learns about first aid! It’s very important knowledge! That’s it! A First Aid Club!” Souta’s eyes gleamed. “You can ask Honoka-sensei to be your advisor. Also, since you already know first aid, you can conduct the lessons every week!”

“But...I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t think I feel that passionately about First Aid,” Sui said. “And I’m sure there are better people suited for it. Besides, who would be interested to learn something boring like First Aid anyway?”

“You’ll never know until you try!” Souta preached. “I’m sure there are like minded people like you. Even if no one joins, at least you know you tried, right?”

Sui frowned. He seemed to be considering what Souta had said. “I’ll ask Honoka-sensei,” he said. “But...erm…w-would…erm...”

“Just say it!” Souta beamed. “It never hurts to ask! Like I said, you’ll never know until you try!”

“Er...if Honoka-sensei agrees to help, would you join the club?” Sui asked. “I-it’s okay if you don’t, of course, but I think you would really help and since you didn’t join any club, I thought…maybe...”

The churning feeling returned. This time it was stronger and more powerful. The feeling spread to his stomach. The world around him slowed to a crawl. His senses turned numb, and he felt as if he was fading away. Souta wanted to help. He wanted to join. But he could not. He cannot. He should not. He’s going to lose interest, quit the club and hurt everyone around him. Again. It’s going to happen again. It would be elementary school all over again. “How could you leave us?!” Souta wanted to run away. He wanted to escape. He should escape. He should refuse. He wants to help Sui. He really does. But he must refuse. Again. 

“Karu? Karusawa-san?” 

The feeling of Sui’s warm hand on his arm snapped Souta back to his senses. He blinked and shook his head. “Oh, I must have spaced out again, haha!” 

“You look pale.” Sui said. 

_ A-ah? _ Suddenly, Sui closed in. He placed his hands on Souta’s forehead. His eyes were fierce and his face was of serious concern. Souta could feel the gentle touch of Sui’s smooth, delicate hands. In the short silent moment, a wave of relaxation hit him, as the tension in his body slowly ebbed away. He felt protected and...what? Souta shuddered. He did not understand what he’s feeling. Whatever it was, it scared him. But why?

“I’m fine!” Souta blurted out, taking a step back from Sui. He stumbled a little but managed to catch himself from falling, recovering from a slight light-headedness that suddenly overcame him. “I’m fine! I’m fine!” 

“Was it because of something I said?” Sui asked. “I’m so sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked so suddenly...” 

“Haha! It’s fine it’s fine!” Souta assured him with a thumbs up. “I’m just thinking about something else. You know, eggs, baskets, grimelords, haha!”

“Seriously, is there anything I could help with the eggs and basket?” Sui’s concerned look returned. “You seem to be a little off-color whenever you think about those things.”

“I’m fine! Really! I’m just a little confused. Haha! You worry too much, Sui.” Souta forced a smile, trying to hide the odd fluttering in his chest that replaced the awful churning. “You really worry too much,” he added under his breath.


	4. Chapter 4

A lot was on Souta’s mind. A lot was always on Souta’s mind. Some people might think that Souta is fickle and easily distracted, thus not much goes through his head. Souta knew it was not true. In fact, it was far from the truth. A lot goes through Souta’s head at any given time. He was thinking of whether there’s a stall open in the toilet. He was thinking about how the chair that he’s sitting on looked a bit old. He looked at the owner flipping the takoyaki. He was thinking about how dangerous putting a takoyaki fresh off the stove into his mouth would be. He bet it would scald his tongue. He did not have a sensitive tongue unlike Sui. Sui has a really sensitive tongue. Souta thought of the funny expression on Sui’s helpless face that day when he bit off a part of piping hot gyoza. He did not lie. It was not hot to him. He even ate two pieces first, probably why Sui trusted him. Strange though, that for a person who could not take heat, he has warm hands.  _ So I’m going to confess to Rucchan.  _ And then…

Souta realized that that last thought did not belong to him. It was a startling thought. Him and that Douzaki Kakeru-san? No way! He turned to look at his best friend Kouta, who was sitting beside him with his usual smirk on his face. “You are going to what?” Souta asked him.

“Well, that got your attention,” Kouta took a sip of his matcha. “Is something wrong?” 

“No wait, you can’t change the topic like that! Only I’m allowed to do that!” Souta whined, finishing the takoyaki in his mouth. “What do you mean you are going to confess to  _ Rucchan _ ? Tell me! When’s the wedding? Are you going to have a best man? Am I your best man? You must have me as the best man!”

“Haha! I’m just joking man,” Kouta laughed, fanning Souta’s excitement away. “I’m just trying to get your attention. What’s bothering you?”

_ Half-liar. _ Souta gave him a disapproving look. Kouta gave a slightly defeated look.  _ I don’t know why you are giving me that look _ . Souta fired back.  _ You know I know that you know what I mean _ . Kouta took a takoyaki.  _ The takoyaki is getting cold. _

“I’m fine. I’m just thinking.” Souta said. Eagerly, he took another takoyaki and placed it in his mouth. It was already lukewarm. While acceptable, Souta did prefer it to hurt his tongue a little.  _ This is probably the right temperature for Sui _ . Souta chewed, sinking his teeth into the fragile crispy exterior. The mayonaise and the takoyaki sauce followed through, mixing into the batter. From within, the small, firm but noticeably octopus bits emerged, providing just the correct amount of resistance to the attack. Souta mixed and chewed, allowing the heavenly taste from his childhood and hometown spread across his mouth. It was the best. This stall was the only stall outside of his hometown that makes the takoyaki just the way he wants. He should tell everyone about it.  _ I should tell Sui! _

“Are you thinking about introducing this place to Sui?” Kouta’s voice cut across his thoughts. 

Souta beamed, mostly in delight. “Yeah! Do you think he likes takoyaki? Wait, how did you know I was thinking about that?”

“You have that look on your face when you eat the takoyaki,” Kouta said.

“But I always have a look when I eat takoyaki,” Souta argued. “I have a look when I eat bad ones. I have a look when I eat good ones. I have a look when I eat strange ones…”

Kouta shook his head slightly. He had the look that seemed to say  _ I know that, so you should know what I mean _ . Souta frowned. He did not like it when people pointed out something about himself that he did not know about. Kouta was his best friend though, and if there’s anyone who seemed to know Souta more than himself, it’s him. It was an unsettling thought, but Souta enjoyed the idea that he probably knew Kouta better than himself too. 

“You have been hanging out with that Sui a lot recently.” Kouta said. “How is he?” 

“Oh! He’s suuuuper fun! He’s nice and kind too! You know he works in the Nurse’s Office, right? Apparently he volunteered himself to help out! Of course, I heard Honoka-sensei approached him first, but still!” Souta stuffed another takoyaki into his mouth. “You should see him treat the injured students. You would think that someone like him would faint at the sight of dripping blood and broken legs, but no! He didn’t! Even better! He did not even flinch throughout the entire treatment! It’s so cool! I kept telling him that but he doesn’t seem to think so.”

“He’s a bit sticky, though. Not like glue sticky, but sticky to the rules sticky. He sticks to his schedule, he doesn’t approve of running in the hallways, he always bows the perfect angle to greet a teacher. He should really go out and enjoy life! Life is short, they always say!”

“Heeeh…” Kouta gave a slight nod. “Why don’t you ask him out then?”

Souta’s eyes twinkled. “I should!” Then he frowned. “Wait, I did! Several times! He only agreed once, which was the day we had the gyoza. Outside of that, he always said that he had something on. Maybe he doesn’t really want to go out with me…” Souta’s chest felt heavy upon saying that. He knew it was not true. At least, that’s he  _ thought _ . If Sui did not enjoy hanging out with him, he would say it clearly, right?  _ No he wouldn’t _ .  _ He’s the type that’s careful not to hurt others’ feelings _ . He suddenly realized that he was being refused after that gyoza incident.  _ Maybe the gyoza affected him more than I thought? _

“Hmm, maybe you could try to ask him a day earlier or so,” Kouta gave a suggestion. Souta was surprised. Kouta had never  _ proposed _ suggestions like that before. “He might need time to think about it and plan.” 

“I see!” Souta felt excitement rise in his body. The suggestion made a lot of sense! Maybe for someone sticky like Sui, it would be better to inform him beforehand so that he could make plans for it.  _ It’s not me then! _ The weight of his chest lifted, and he could taste the takoyaki in his mouth again. “Master~!” he shouted at the stall, “one more set please!” Then he turned back to Kouta. A question popped to his head. “Just wondering, how did you figure that out?” 

“What do you mean. There are people like that, right?” Kouta shrugged. 

_ Half-liar _ . Souta could see it in Kouta’s eyes. No one else could because of how dreamy they look, especially coupled with his face. It did not fool Souta. When he mentioned ‘people’, he was thinking about  _ that _ person. “By people you mean,  _ Rucchan? _ ” 

Souta grinned. Teasing the seemingly overly confident and smooth Shinohara Kouta was fun from time to time. “Of course not, there are other people other than Rucchan,” Kouta's voice was unwavering. He shifted in his seat. It was not your typical uneasy shift, the ones that Sui would do if there was something remotely alarming mentioned to him. If anything, the movement was too smooth, as if he was trying to hide something. Souta knew he was. Kouta’s tells were bad, but he was good at hiding them.

Souta lowered his voice. “Are you...though?” He made a circular gesture with his hand. He was not sure if that gesture meant anything, but it felt right.

“Am I...what?” Kouta asked. 

“You know, with  _ aniki _ ,” Souta said.  _ Aniki _ , of course, referred to the Kouta’s  _ Rucchan _ . Even though Souta was older than him in terms of birthdate, he felt it was right to call him a ‘big brother’. If Souta had an older brother, he figured that Kakeru fit the type. “You have been hanging out with him a lot,” Souta said. 

“Aw, did you miss me?” Kouta smirked. 

_ Tch, he’s running.  _ “Yeah,” Souta pouted extra hard. “We used to do stupid shit together but it seemed like we were doing any of those anymore. You hang around too much with  _ aniki _ ! I’m jealous!”

Kouta was visibly, at least to Souta’s eyes, shaken. He shrugged it off quickly. “Well, isn’t it good then that you got along with Sui?” he asked. “You spend an awful amount of time with him too recently. Are you…” Kouta made the same circular gesture that Souta made earlier. “...though?”

“Ahaha! I’m not! I’m not!” Souta laughed a little too loudly; some of the customers turned to see what’s up for a moment and returned to their own businesses. But to think about it...him and Sui? Together? What a thought! Souta was not gay. He liked girls. He’s sure of that, at least. That means he’s not gay, right? “Hahaha! Don’t try to change the topic! Seriously! I have seen you look at him.” Souta was not sure how to explain. It was those eyes that Kouta kept making when he looked at  _ aniki _ . He wiped the smile off his smile, and dropped his voice low so that no one could hear him, eliminating the cheerfulness in his voice. “You like him, right?” Souta felt cool. He rarely used this tone, but he knew he effectively changed the atmosphere on the table. Souta’s serious, though. He wanted to know, but he knew it was ultimately up to Kouta to admit it. The chances of him doing that was...remarkably slim though, according to Souta’s calculations. Still, being his best friend should up the chances. “You weren’t exactly kidding when you said you are going to confess, right?”

Kouta sighed. “Karu, please. Like I said, I was just kidding. Rucchan and I are just friends, nothing more. We are not gay. At least, I’m not. He probably isn’t either. And even in the unlikely scenario where Rucchan confesses to me, I would refuse. But that would never happen. Ever. Besides, he did not seem interested in a relationship.”

From that, Souta already knew the answer. They had these kinds of conversations before, conversations about every single ex-girlfriend Kouta had or would have.  _ Flings _ , Kouta would chuckle and call them that to Souta, but would not say it in public. When Souta asked about them, Kouta did not seem to care a bit, or to phrase it better, he did not seem to make an effort to care. The only times he cared was when he decided that the relationship was getting annoying and initiated a break up. 

This time, his response was different. The fact that he did not dismiss the subject immediately proved it. What a thought! Imagine! After all the girls Kouta had been with, he would eventually settle for a guy.  _ He won’t initiate though.  _ Souta tried to contain his laughter from the thought.  _ What a tragedy.  _

“You are thinking of silly things again, Karu.” Kouta said, placing a heavy hand on Souta’s shoulder. He got up and looked around. “Didn’t you order a set of takoyaki? I’ll go check with them.”

And with that Kouta escaped.

* * *

“Man, it had been awhile since we had dinner together,” Souta muttered to himself after seeing Kouta off. He made his way back to the student hostel where he lived, taking the crowded way home. Souta liked the crowded way. There was always something new to see. Just yesterday, he noticed that the girl working at the small clothes shop was missing. The day before, there was a shop only set up for one day selling yakisoba and ran into Kakeru there. The look on his face was priceless, as if Souta caught him red-handed doing something illegal. 

Souta walked into the street. It was not as crowded, most probably because it was past dinner time and people were already on their way home. The ones remaining were mostly couples, who were just walking around and sightseeing. 

At one corner, Souta a boy holding a box of karaage. A girl was standing close to him, eagerly looking at the box. Souta recognized them. They were first-years, and there were gossips circulating around school of them being together.  _ Well, this confirms it _ . Souta was always surprised to see first-year couples, but he knew there was not a need to be. Kouta went through at least three girlfriends in his first year. Souta was a recipient of a confession himself. He still felt bad about how that one went.

“It’s not that hot,” the boy said, already taking a bite of a karaage. “ _ Mmm! It’s sho delishous _ !” 

“Oh?” The girl put one in her mouth. Her eyes went wide, a look of confusion and betrayal on her face. “You lied!” She tried to exclaim through the food in her mouth. 

The boy laughed apologetically. “Oh no! I’m sorry! I didn’t know, haha! Quick, transfer it to my mouth.”

“N-no! Idiot!” The girl kicked him lightly on the shin. The boy grabbed his shin in exaggerated pain, still laughing and apologizing.

_ Heh. _ It was a familiar scene, similar to the one he and Sui had with the gyoza. Souta stopped for a moment to look at them. It was funny. The girl felt like Sui, outside of the kicking. The way she seemed to refrain herself from imposing, the way she chewed her food carefully with a concerned look, the way she held herself with a proper posture, all reminded Souta of Sui. 

The boy was, on the other hand, was loud, boisterous and wore a cheerful smile on his face. It was surreal. The boy reminded Souta of himself. “Come on! Let me take you to this place I just found the other day!” The boy said, grabbing the girl’s arm and pulled her forward. 

“W-wait!” The girl tried her best to keep up and they both disappeared into another store.

Souta thought about him grabbing Sui’s arm and dragging him to places.  _ That’d be nice _ , he thought. In that moment, he remembered the feel of Sui’s hands on his arm and forehead. His heart started to race as the vivid image of Sui’s concerned face drew dangerously close to him.

“You are thinking silly things again,” Kouta’s voice echoed in his head. He shook his head and laughed to himself. What was he thinking about? They are both guys! And Souta was not gay. He did not think Sui was gay either. Besides, Souta liked girls too much to be gay. He continued to walk down the street, taking note of all the girls that he walked by which he found cute.  _ Yeah, I like girls _ , he confirmed to himself with a firm nod. Sui was just a good friend. There’s nothing wrong with good friends hanging out together.

Souta gasped. He had almost forgotten about inviting Sui to hang out at the takoyaki place early. Quickly, he took out his smartphone and sent a message. Just as he sent the message, his chest clenched, suddenly excited and anxious. He laughed it off.  _ Silly me, what am I so nervous about?  _ He was about to put away his phone when a notification alarm sounded from it. He looked back at his phone. Sui had replied.

**Sui** : Sure! I was craving some takoyaki too recently. I’ll let you know when I’m free later.

_ Oh!  _ Souta grinned from tooth to tooth.  _ I’m going to show Sui what real takoyaki tastes like!  _ He skipped the rest of his way home with newfound spring in his steps, almost unable to contain the joy welling up from within him. After all, a good friend just accepted his invitation. It’s normal to be happy. Perfectly normal.


	5. Chapter 5

Tachibana Yui closed her homework booklet and heaved a triumphant breath, putting down her pen and spectacles. She stretched, letting all the tension she built up from sitting on her desk all afternoon away. She looked at her watch.  _ 6 o’clock. _ She frowned. She had taken more time than she initially planned. Her stomach growled. It was almost dinnertime, but her big brother was not home yet. It’s not that she minded, but big brother was rarely late.

Yui walked towards the room next to her and knocked on the door. “Rui? Are you awake? Are you hungry?”

“No...” came a lazy muffled reply. Unlike Yui, Rui possesses a lower level of energy. He eats very little during meal time, and spends most of his time lazing around in his room, usually napping in bed as school saps all his energy away. Yui always wondered how he managed to get his homework done. “Rui, you should eat something. Who knows when big brother will be back? I’ll grab some bread for you from the kitchen, okay?”

“Ah, no...I’m coming...” The door opened. Rui stood before her, rubbing his eyes. A loud growl echoed in the hallway they were standing. Rui looked down at his stomach. “I guess I’m hungry after all.”

Yui shook her head. She always wondered how they could be so different from each other, especially since they are twins. They look very similar, to the point where Yui reckoned that if Rui grew his hair longer and wore a skirt, people would begin to mistake them for each other. However, the similarities end there.

“You have to eat at least a little even though you are not hungry,” Yui said. “Come let’s get some bre-”

Just as Yui was about to finish her sentence, the main door opened. Sui entered, greeting everyone with a smile. “Hello, sorry I’m a bit late. I got your guys your dinner. We are having tendon!”

Yui waved her hands. “Don’t worry big bro. Although, it  _ is  _ a bit unlike you to be late. Did you have a good time?”

There was a smile, and a pause before the “Yes!”. Yui had never seen this combination before. Normally, her big brother would go either answer ‘yes’ without a moment’s hesitation, or he would frown irritably for a moment before answering otherwise. 

The smile was strange as well. Yui had never noticed that kind of smile on Sui’s face until recently, when Rui pointed out that Sui looked…’differently happy’. She understood what he meant. It was not that Sui looked happier. It’s that his happiness seemed different. Yui could tell by the smile. 

Sui laid down the packed dinner onto the dining table and unboxed them. The meals were still warm, ready to eat. Yui did not waste any time and started to gobble her meal. Rui, too, did the same. Sui just watched with a cup of green tea. 

“How’s school?” Sui asked. 

Yui glanced at Rui. The movement was subtle, but Yui  _ felt _ Rui glanced back at her. It was not unexpected. Rui had always been like that around her. He did not like starting conversations and would rather Yui do it for him. It’s not that he didn’t like talking; he just didn’t like  _ starting  _ them.  _ How is he going to survive on his own?  _ Yui would wonder, but she figured that he’s still young.  _ He’s _ still young. 

And it’s not like she liked having such conversations either, but it would be rude not to answer. Sui is always very stern about manners, and he has a point. Yui would not feel good if she asked someone a question only to be ignored. “School’s normal, I guess. Oh, they wanted to appoint me into the student council but I refused.”

“Eh!” Came the expected surprised exclamation from her big brother. “But being in a student council is a huge prestige! If your class recommended you, then you should take it...”

“I don’t see the point,” Yui said. “Why do extra work and compromise on studies?” Yui could see that Sui was a little taken aback by her words. She grinned. “After all, didn’t big brother say that studies are important and we should focus on them?”

“Yeah, but studies are one thing. That aside, the class chose you, right?” Sui said. “That means they think that you are smart and responsible.”

Yui frowned. “Big brother, what do twelve-year-olds know about intelligence and responsibility? I’ll give a hint. It starts with an ‘N’ and ends with a ‘G’.”

“But your homeroom teacher chose for you too, right?” Sui argued. 

“She’ll find someone else,” Yui said, waving her hands. It would be difficult to explain what she thought about her homeroom teacher to her big brother, or her teachers in general. They are treating her like a kid, but that is to be expected considering that she is, in the end, one.

“Yui...you are growing up too fast.” Sui had a worried look on his face.

Yui beamed and munched on her food. She took it as a compliment. If anything, she wants to grow up faster, become an adult, get a job, leave her home and run her own life, maybe start a company, marry someone, travel around the world...

“Rui,” Sui turned his attention to Yui’s twin brother sitting beside her. “What about you? Anything interesting happening in school?”

Rui slowly looked up, seemingly expressionless but Yui could tell from the small darting movements of his eyes that he was a little perplexed by the question. Before Yui could say anything, Rui gave her an apologetic look, and said, “Yui got a love letter from a classmate.”

Yui felt a familiar churning reaction in her gut, the kind you get when you get nervous or embarrassed. She cleared her throat and coughed it away.  _ Silly, there’s nothing to be flustered about _ , she thought. Sui’s reaction, however, was beginning to make her nervous. His normally droopy eyes were wide and his face was a confused mix up glee and worry. 

“Who is it!” Sui asked in restrained excitement. “Was it someone in your class??”

"Please, no need to make a huge fuss, big brother. I turned her down." Yui said. 

"Her?" 

As expected, Sui managed to pick up on the keyword which Yui had deliberately used. Well, it was not much of a surprise since she purposefully raised her tone a little when she said it.

“Yes, it was a girl.” Yui shrugged. “It's not that uncommon for same sex confession these days, I think. I read online that there are boys who get them too.” 

Yui could tell that Sui was trying to process all the information from the way his eyes were darting back and forth. “Wait,” Sui started, “Let me get this right. Someone gave you a love letter?”

Yui nodded.

“And it was a girl. A classmate?”

Yui nodded. “Same class, but she sits quite far away.”

“And you rejected her.” 

Yui nodded again. 

“I-is it because...she’s a girl?” Sui asked.

_ Ah.  _ Yui had suspected that her big brother was not used to the idea of same-sex relationships. “It’s not about the gender, big bro. I just did not know her well. I mean, we barely spoke to each other.” Yui shrugged. “Besides, it would become a distraction from my studies.”

Sui hesitated for a moment. “So, if you are...say...good friends with her...like really good friends. And if you were not so concerned with your studies, would you consider accepting?”

_ Wait.  _ Yui raised an eyebrow. She felt there was something wrong. Was Sui trying to figure out if she would actually accept a same-sex relationship? Then again, she made clear that gender would not be an issue. He looked at Rui, who was looking back at Yui, uncharacteristically interested in the conversation. At that moment, she felt her stomach churn. Was it that bad to have a same-sex relationship? Should she just laugh it off and answer with a straight ‘no’?

Yui huffed, annoyed. She’s probably thinking too much into it. “I mean, if I really love the person, gender doesn’t matter, right? Don't you think so?”

“Oh, why, y-yes! Of course!” Sui said. “Gender shouldn’t get in the way of love! I don’t mind as long as Yui is happy.” He made a nod at Rui. “And Rui too of course. Our parents...might not be thrilled. But I’m sure they’ll be okay, right?”

“Hmm!” Yui pondered. “I don’t know our parents very well. But if they object I’m sure I can talk to them! In the worst case I’ll just leave the house!”

“I-I...see…” 

Yui could see the color drain from Sui’s face. It happens every time Yui mentioned about leaving the house. It’s understandable, she figured. She’s still young, and the thought of children her age leaving home to fend for themselves would be unthinkable. Just imagining her classmates doing that leaves her worried. 

Sui did not press on with any more questions. Yui and Rui continued to eat in silence. It was starting to get awkward since Sui was not eating. He was just looking down deep in thought. 

“Erm,” Yui started to feel bad. She didn't mean it when she said she’ll just leave the house. Not completely anyway. Well, mostly completely. Whatever, that’s not the problem now. “Big brother. Are you okay? Sorry I said those things.”

Sui looked up, startled. “Oh no! I’m not thinking about that! I’m just thinking about other things…”

Rui spoke for the first time. “Big bro, how was your day? It’s not fair that we told you ours and we didn’t get to hear yours…” 

Yui gave a judging look at Rui.  _ You didn’t even tell yours!  _

“Oh! My day? Today I went out with Karu for dinner, that’s why I was a little late!” Sui said. 

“You seem to be out with this Karu guy a lot these days,” Yui commented. “If we didn’t know better, we’d think you guys are in love with each other or something!”

“W-what! No it’s nothing like that! We are just friends who e-enjoy each other’s company!” 

_ Huh.  _

Yui blinked at her big brother’s flustered reaction. 

_ Interesting.  _

"Well, I'm glad you have made good friends in school, big brother," Yui said. "Tell us more about this Karu! That's not his real name, right?” 

"Oh, his full name is Karusawa Souta! He is older than me by a few months. He is a little shorter than me, but maybe he hasn't had his growth spurt yet! I heard that he's from Osaka! And he likes to eat and bring me around. I discovered so many new places just by following him. He used to be a troublemaker in class but he had calmed down since then! What else…"

Sui went on and on, talking about his time with Karu, recounting the mishaps they had in school and the city center. He talked about how loud and funny Karu is, easily making friends with the locals. He also talked about how kind Karu was, always taking the initiative volunteering for school charity work. 

Yui and Rui had finished their meal, but they continued to listen. At some point, Yui noted the higher, more excited tone of voice Sui uses whenever he mentions Karu. Yui looked at Rui. Rui glanced back, his face expressionless but Yui got the message. They had never seen their big brother talk this much and this excitedly before, not even the time when he prepares shopping lists. He  _ loves  _ lists.

“Ahem!” Yui clears her throat. “Sorry, big brother. We love to hear more but we just finished our meal and we have to get back to our studies. I think Rui needs to do his homework.”

“O-oh! Sorry!” Sui said. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Yui rolled her eyes where her big brother could not see.  _ He still thinks we are children _ , she sighed.  _ I can’t wait to grow up. _

“We’ll be fine, big brother,” Yui waved her hand, wrapping her trash and returning to her room. She turned and gave a smirk. “Good luck with Karu.”

Sui returned a look of confusion. Then realization. And finally his face turned red.

“W-wait! What do you mean!” he tried to protest, but Yui had already retreated into her room.


	6. Chapter 6

Souta skipped towards the school entrance. He was an hour early, as usual. He waved at the other early bird students, who returned their greetings in their own unique ways. They were already familiar with him. Well, technically, the whole school is familiar with him, so perhaps it would be better to say that  _ he _ was familiar with  _ them. _

Souta walked towards his shoe locker and opened it, excited for the day. He had been really excited for school recently. He still remembered school becoming a drag when they shifted his seat away from Kouta, but after meeting Sui and Kakeru, things got a lot livelier. 

“Hmm?”

He reached into his shoe locker. There was something in there other than his shoe.  _ Oh, it’s another one of those.  _ It was, if Souta was not mistaken, a love letter. Souta had received these before. Not as many as the ‘popular, dashing and handsome’ Kouta, of course, but enough for a high school kid he’d reckon. 

Souta bagged the letter. He had tried dating before. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Kouta would advise. “You break up and move on with each other’s life!” It’s true, except that breakups sucked and ‘moving on’ involved random apologetic glances and a shank through his chest. Souta decided that it was no longer worth the trouble. 

The stories were all the same. Souta had heard that he was too energetic, too fast-paced, too loud, too overbearing, too fickle and worst of all too  _ annoying _ . There were even those that ‘dated him’ to get closer with Kouta. Those weren’t the only problems. There were those that said he was too distant and aloof. ‘In his own world’, even. Those were the ones he could not understand, and that troubled him every time. “What do you make of that?” He would ask Kouta, in which Kouta would simply shrug and reply with “Don’t let it bother you.”

Still he would show some courtesy and read the letter. He found his way to a quiet part of the hallway and opened the envelope. The letter was a tight fit and was folded in exact neat halves. He opened the letter. The first thing he noticed was the impressive penmanship. Whoever made this love letter is incredibly meticulous and careful, possibly one of the better made love letters he had ever received. 

\----

_ Dear Karusawa Souta, _

_ Roses are red, _

_ Violets are blue, _

_ Meet at the rooftop, _

_ I have something to tell you. _

_ \---- _

Souta chuckled at how cheesy and simple the letter was despite being so painstakingly packaged. He shook his head and returned the letter into his bag. Another heart he would have to break. He hated doing that, but it would still be better than a breakup. 

* * *

“Lunch,” Kouta bellowed, pressing Souta down onto his desk by his shoulders. “Luuuuuunch.”

Souta did not struggle. He’s exhausted, and not in the way he’s used to. He wasn’t concentrating well in class. Well, not normally anyway. He spent most of the class having a mild headache thinking about having to endure more than a year of breaking hearts. It didn’t seem like a good way to spend his youth.

“Dude you alright?” Kouta’s voice raised to one of concern. 

Souta responded, creeped out by the sudden change of tone. “It’s nothing, just tired, I guess.”

“All the more we should go for lunch then.” Kouta declared, pressing Souta down even more, who yelped and struggled to break free from his hold. As he was doing that, Kouta gestured at Sui who was just sitting beside, “You joining us?”

“Oh! Er! Not today, I have something on!” Sui promptly stood up, bowed politely and left the classroom.

“Eh…he seemed to be in a hurry. Did you do something to him?” 

Souta shrugged. He had not noticed anything wrong with Sui. Then again, he was not particularly observant this morning. “Maybe he got a love letter,” Souta mumbled, and instantly regretted saying that. 

“Ahh I see what this is about,” Kouta smirked, “You got a love letter!”

“Not so loud!” Souta tried to fight his way out but Kouta was in too good of a position to break free. 

"What? It's not like it's your first time receiving one." Kouta leaned down to ask. "So, who is this unfortunate girl?"

"Nameless. Could be a guy for all I know." Souta snorted. He tried to break free again. "Lemme go! I'll join you guys for lunch as soon as I'm done." 

Kouta released him. "Well, let her know I'm available, eh?" He winked. 

“Please, the whole school knows you are not.” Souta laughed. 

Kouta raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” But Souta was already gone, leaving behind a confused Kouta behind pondering over those words. 

Souta walked up the quiet stairs towards the rooftop. It was closed off by the school, technically, but students from time to time manage to sneak their way up. It’s a good location for a quiet confession compared to others, Souta thought, and possibly one with the most romantic atmosphere. It is a problem. The open air, the vast empty space, the blue sky all painted a lovely picture, making it difficult for Souta to reject a confession. 

But, it’s not like he had not done it before. 

Souta reached the top of the stairs and peeked through the window on the door that views the rooftop. To his surprise, he did not see any girl. There was just a figure of a lone boy standing there, a figure that Souta was familiar with. 

_ Sui? _

Souta’s bit his lips.

_ Oh. He really did receive a love letter. _

After all, why else would a good boy like Sui do something against the school rules like going to the rooftop? Souta could not think of any other reason. He peeked at the sides of the rooftop as much as he could from behind the door. There was no one else. 

“At least I have company while I wait,” Souta muttered to himself and opened the door. He waved at Sui. “Yo!”

Sui immediately jumped. Souta laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to catch you for trespassing.”

“O-oh,” Sui stuttered. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Souta asked. “Your face is red. Nervous?”

Sui nodded. 

“Ah, don’t worry. I was nervous when I received my first love letter too!” Souta said. “In fact, every time I receive them, I still get nervous. So don’t worry about it! It’s normal. You’d think after rejecting so many of them I’d be used to it, but I guess I’m not like Kouta…” 

Souta noticed Sui looking more and more worried. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Ah, my bad! I shouldn’t have used the word ‘reject’. But hey, that’s just me! It’s not like she’ll actually reject you. I mean, it depends on whether you are for the relationship or not! I think having a conversation and having an understanding conclusion is more important…you know? 

Sui’s face was visibly confused. Souta chuckled. “Haha! I don’t even know what I’m talking about. All I’m trying to say is ‘Don’t worry!’” He pat Sui on the back. “So who is this lucky girl?”

Sui blinked. “Huh?”

“Who is the girl that gave you the love letter?” Souta repeated. “Oh wait, unless this does not involve a love letter...oh my god! Then I must look like a fool!”

Sui shook his head. “No…? It does involve a love letter.”

“A-ahaha!” Souta caught himself in time. “So it is! So who is it that gave you the letter?”

“Ah, you misunderstand, I wrote the letter.” Sui said.

“Oh!?” Souta’s eyes lit up. “I never knew you were into someone! And to even write a love letter too! You must have really liked that person! C’mon, out with it! Who is this lucky person? Wait, don’t tell me. It’s Ayaka from the Student Council, isn’t it?”

Sui’s face went bright red. He muttered something under his breath. Souta grinned. He could not pass this opportunity to tease Sui, even if it’s just a little bit. “I can’t hear you. Is it her?”

“Er. No. It’s. E-err.”

Sui took a deep breath. 

“It’s you...Karu.” 

“Huh?” Souta frowned.  _ Me? What does he mean by ‘me’?  _ “You mean Ayaka is in love with me?” He gasped. “Oh my god, so the one who gave me the love letter is Ayaka?! Waitaminute waitaminute, that doesn’t make sense. You wrote the letter for Ayaka, who meant to give the letter to me?” __

“N-no!  _ I  _ gave you the letter!” Sui’s face is now completely red. “I-I wrote the letter! Then I put it in your locker. T-then you looked at it! Then you couldn’t concentrate in class! And then I’m sorry!!”

“Wait, so-” Souta tried to think, which admittedly was not his strongest suit. “Ayaka isn’t involved?”

Sui nodded.

“So…” The conclusion began to form in his mind, but something about this whole situation seemed  _ wrong,  _ yet so  _ right  _ at the same time. “So Sui...wrote me a love letter?”

Sui nodded.

“To...you know, a love letter is...you know, to confess your love to another person. You know that, right?” Souta said.

Sui looked away. And nodded. 

“W-which means that...Sui...loves...!?” Souta gasped, pointing at Sui, then to himself. “...me?!” 

Souta said the words out loud, but it did not occur to him what he had just said until a few moments later. The thoughts of him spending more time going out with Sui started to flood his imagination. Going on dates with Sui, holding hands _ ,  _ watching movies and dramas together. _ Maybe k-kiss?? And then marriage?? And then…? _

Souta felt dizzy. He could hear his heart beating faster. It was getting difficult to think straight. He felt warm, bewildered, and somehow... _ happy. _ Not just any happiness, at least, not the kind that Souta was familiar with. This one felt  _ deep _ , as if every bone in his body were leaping for joy. 

“But S-sui, is it really okay with you? I mean, we are both guys...and guys...you know, shouldn’t? Normally, that is. I don’t mind of course! And I’m really happy you asked me! And I would love to go out with you! But...is it really okay??”

“I-I’m sure we’ll think of a way.”

Souta found himself burying his face into Sui’s chest, his arms wrapped around his body. “S-sui!” 

“A-ah, Karu??”

Souta did not let go. He knew that Sui was always the prudent meticulous type of person, always the one planning ahead and telling Souta to be careful. For Sui to take the leap of faith to ask Souta out without a plan meant a lot more to him than he had expected. 

_ More than I expected… _

_ Why...? _

Souta pressed his face harder into Sui’s chest. He now fully realized how much he wanted to be Sui. That’s why he felt dreaded when he thought Sui was being confessed to; the thought of Sui spending less time with him was almost unthinkable. 

He had been taking Sui for granted. Ever since he met Sui, his life felt better and brighter. Sui was always keeping up with his shenanigans. Sui was always watching him, telling him to be careful. Sui was always accepting of his quirkiness and flaws. 

Sui was always there for him.

_ Stupid! Thinking about this only now! _

“I’m sorry…” Souta said.

“...Nn? What for?” Sui asked.

Souta looked up. They made eye contact. This time it was Souta’s turn to feel embarrassed and look away. “Nothing…” he muttered. 

“...Karu, if...it’s...if you want to turn me down, I-I’ll be f-fine…!”

Souta gave an alarmed look. “No! No no no! That’s not what I meant!” Souta cried, “I accept! I’ll go out with you!” 

“O-oh! Oh no…” Sui sniffled, close to tears. “I-I’m so glad…”

Souta pulled forward. His arms wrapped around Sui’s neck. Sui’s eyes met his as they drew close, eyes that were always worried about him, watching him, accepting him, beautiful eyes. Their lips touched. A warm feeling coursed through Souta’s body. It was a happy feeling, a feeling that made Souta feel like everything is just going to be  _ alright.  _ He knew it’s the same for Sui, who shuddered as they kissed.

And for the first time in his life, Souta felt the crushing waves of his energy reduce to the stillness of calm water. He did not feel the need to move. He did not feel the need to play. He just wants to be with Sui, who would always watch over him, be with him, and, as he now knows, love him. 


End file.
